Judaism Today

Judaism as it is found in the United States today is
divided into four major religious movements represented by synagogue
membership. A small percentage of Jews identify with more or less
extremist, rightwing, cult-like movements (such as Hasidism) which had
their origins in eighteenth century Europe. A far larger percentage of
Jews (nearing one-half, at any given time) identify themselves as Jewish
though they belong to no movement -- some of these Jews do join synagogues from
time to time, but others prefer to remain "secular" for ideological
reasons. Mixed among both secular and synagogue-based Jews, there are
others who center their Jewish identity on Zionism.

ZIONISM AND ZIONISTS

In the years just after World War II, Zionism (the desire to rebuild a
Jewish national presence in the Promised Land) became a popular Jewish
cause. Many Jews who had loose ties or no ties at all with religion became
involved with the establishment of the State of Israel. Even today, many
years after the successful founding of the State of Israel, there are Jews
whose only real tie to Judaism is their belief in Zionism and their
support for the State of Israel. They are joined by many Jews who are
members of synagogues and support a modern Jewish religious movement, but
who also find their prime identity as Jews in the Zionist cause.

Broadly speaking, Zionists are proud that a small and struggling state
made up mainly of Jews has created a modern democracy out of what were
barren mountainsides, near deserts, and mosquito-breeding marshes.
Zionists also point with pride at the ability of the Israelis to defend
their land against the claims and against the armies of neighboring Arab nations.

Zionists generally agree that the ultimate expression of Zionism is
possible only through Aliyah,"“going up" to live permanently in the land
of Israel. In truth, however, few Jews -- Zionist or not -- emigrate from the
United States to Israel. Nevertheless, many American Zionists express
their identity with the Jewish people, in part or in whole, through active support of the State of Israel.

SECULAR JUDAISM

Secular Jews express their Jewish identities in a variety of ways.
Some feel a tie to the State of Israel, but their Zionist leanings are not
a strong driving force in their lives. Some feel a tie to Jewish religion
and attend religious services from time to time, often on the High Holy
Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (as many Christians do at Easter and
Christmas), but they do not maintain a lifelong membership in a synagogue
or temple. Some secular Jews express their identity through study --
sometimes returning to the study of Judaism in their later years,
sometimes seeing study as a way of searching for their roots. Often,
secular Jews quest for spirituality -- sometimes turning to Jewish ideas
and practices, even if they never fully return to the religious practices
of their ancestors.

Some few Jews are ideologically secular. They may be atheists who do
not believe in the existence of a god. Or they may be agnostics, unsure of
whether or not God exists. Among religions, Judaism is somewhat unique in
that it makes room for both atheists and agnostics to remain Jewish. It is
often pointed out that there is no positive commandment in the Torah (the
Five Books of Moses) requiring a Jew to believe in God. When it comes to
belief, the Torah commands that Jews adhere to the laws of the covenant,
which means that idolatry (the belief in many gods) is forbidden. But a
person can theoretically live an exemplary Jewish life without a belief in
God.

Moreover, connection with the Jewish people is determined by birth,
not by belief. If a person is born a Jew (or converts to Judaism), he or
she is identified as a Jew. There is no question about this. Even the most
religious Jew accepts birth (or conversion) as the only criteria for
membership in the Jewish people.

ORTHODOX JUDAISM

Religious Jews today disagree on what Judaism is and what it should
be. Orthodox Jews claim to hold the true religion of Judaism. In fact,
Orthodoxy only began to organize and solidify its beliefs in the
nineteenth century, in direct response to the Reform movement. To this
day, there is less agreement among Orthodox Jews about what being Orthodox
means -- especially about how particular laws should be followed -- than
there is disagreement in any of the other modern movements. So, for
example, the State of Israel has two "chief" rabbis to serve the Orthodox
-- one of them serving the style of Orthodoxy (Ashkenazi) that
developed in Europe and the other serving the style of Orthodoxy (Sephardi)
that developed in what today are primarily Arab lands. Among Ashkenazi
Jews, many of the Orthodox follow the laws of the Torah as explained and
expanded in a multi-volume code of Jewish law called the Shulchan Aruch
that was written by Rabbi Joseph Karo in the sixteenth century.

Generally, all Orthodox Jews believe God gave the entire Torah to
Moses at Mount Sinai in two parts -- the Written Torah that contains the
613 mitzvot and the Spoken Torah, the oral traditions and
explanations later recorded in the work of the rabbis and sages of the
Talmud. Orthodox Jews wear a small head covering called a kippah or
Yarmulke at all times. Orthodox Jews are required to offer three
prayer services each day (one in the morning and two offered jointly in
the late afternoon/early evening), though women are excused from this
obligation so they may carry on with their tasks of running a household
and raising a family. For the same reason, women are not often encouraged
to continue or excel in their Jewish studies.

For the most part, Orthodox children are trained in Jewish parochial
schools that teach not only the full range of state required subjects but
also Jewish subjects such as Hebrew and Aramaic (and sometimes, Yiddish),
Talmud, Jewish history, and Prayerbook. Those Orthodox Jews who go on to
become rabbis study at special colleges called yeshivot (singular:
yeshivah).

For various reasons, the Orthodox movement is the least organized of
the modern Jewish religious divisions, with several national associations
claiming primacy. In some parts of Europe -- and certainly in the State of
Israel, where the majority of the citizens identify as either secular or
Zionist -- Orthodoxy is the largest religious movement. In the United
States, however, the Orthodox movement is far smaller than either its
Reform or Conservative counterparts.

REFORM
JUDAISM

Reform Judaism had its beginnings in Germany in the early nineteenth
century. Almost immediately, it met with stiff political resistance from
the traditional establishment that enjoyed the support of the German
government. Though the number of Reform synagogues grew steadily in
Europe, its success there was limited compared to its success among Jews
in the United States, where there was no connection between the organized
Jewish community and the government.

Born in a time when scientific and critical study began to triumph
over superstition and entrenched traditions, Reform Jews believe that the
Torah was written and edited by human beings (though some profess the
belief that the Ten Commandments were written by Moses and given to the
people at Mount Sinai). Nonetheless, Reform Jews generally believe that
the Torah and its ideas are inspired.

Reform Judaism does not hold that one must wear a kippah, or
that one must pray three times a day. The emphasis in Reform Judaism is on
ethics: how a Jew should behave. But even when it comes to ethics, Reform
Judaism does not follow a single guidebook. Instead, Reform Jews are
required to study as much as possible and to make intelligent choices
based on what they have learned. Reform Jews generally send their children
to afternoon or Sunday schools in addition to regular public schools. In
these religious schools, children study the beliefs and practices of
Reform Judaism, Jewish history, customs and ceremonies, and so on.

Reform rabbis are not trained in yeshivot but attend a special
graduate school called the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of
Religion (with branches in Jerusalem, New York, Los Angeles, and
Cincinnati), studying for five years after they have completed their
regular undergraduate college degrees elsewhere. Reform Judaism maintains
the complete equality women, encouraging both women and men to conform to
the same standards of ethical practice, ritual behavior, and study. In
fact, the Reform movement pioneered the ordination of women as rabbis.

The Reform movement currently has the largest membership of any Jewish
religious group in the United States. It is also well represented in
Europe, Asia, Mexico, and Australia; and, in recent years, it has had some
limited success in the State of Israel, as well.

CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM

The Conservative movement emerged in Germany and America in the last
century. The early leaders of Conservative Judaism broke away from the
German Reform movement in order to pursue a middle route between radical
reform and reactionary stagnation. In America, leaders of the Reform
movement actually helped to establish Conservative Judaism in the early
twentieth century, in the belief that the new Jewish immigrants coming
from Eastern Europe could identify more easily with Conservative Judaism
than with Reform.

Most Conservative Jews believe that some kind of divine revelation
took place at Mount Sinai. Some maintain that the written Torah was given
to Moses. Others agree with the Reform movement, saying that the Torah is
divinely inspired, but the work of human hands.

Especially when it comes to Jewish law, Conservative Judaism takes a
stance between plain reason and blind reliance on tradition. Unlike the
Orthodox, Conservative Judaism believes that Jewish law should be
continually examined to meet the needs of every new generation. Unlike the
Reform, Conservative Judaism maintains that Jewish law should be modified
by rabbis and sages, and not by individual Jews.
Conservative Judaism teaches that Jews should offer three prayer services
daily and follow other traditional customs, such as wearing a kippah
when praying (some Conservative Jews wear a kippah at all
times, as do Orthodox Jews). But Conservative Judaism also tries to
accommodate the modern world. Conservative Jews generally send their
children to public schools, supplementing this with religious schooling
several times a week. Conservative religious schools emphasize the Hebrew
language and knowledge of the Bible.

Conservative Jews prepare to be rabbis at the graduate schools called
the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York and the University of Judaism
in Los Angeles. Conservative Judaism originally opposed the idea of women
serving as rabbis, but in recent years many women have been ordained as
Conservative rabbis.

At one time, Conservative Judaism was the largest movement in the
United States, but its popularity has dwindled in recent years. Like the
Reform movement, it is represented in countries around the world (with an
especially large following in Great Britain) and it has made some in-roads
in the State of Israel.

RECONSTRUCTIONIST JUDAISM

The newest of the four modern Jewish religious movements in the United
States is the small Reconstructionist movement. This movement broke away
from Conservative Judaism in the 1920s to follow the teachings of a
brilliant rabbi, Mordecai Kaplan. Kaplan felt that Judaism needed, not
small changes, but a “reconstruction” for our time. Kaplan's idea of God
was unique in Judaism, for while all Jews believed that history was an
important aspect of the Jewish religion, Kaplan viewed history as the
unfolding of God in the world. In this light, God could be said to be the
sum total of all things that are, were, and are yet to be.

In its philosophy, Reconstructionist Judaism differs somewhat from
Conservative Judaism. In practice, however, Reconstructionist Judaism
adheres closely to its parent movement.

Reconstructionist Jews generally send their children to public schools
and to afternoon or Sunday religious school for instruction in Hebrew and
Judaism. As in the Conservative and Reform movements, students train to be
rabbis at a special college, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
(located in Philadelphia) only after completing four years of
undergraduate work at another university. The Reconstructionist movement
has always been a staunch supporter of women's rights in Judaism. Indeed,
the first recorded ceremony of Bat Mitzvah was held for the
daughter of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan. Women in the Reconstructionist movement
are encouraged to become rabbis and the first ordination of a
Reconstructionist woman rabbi was held in 1974, only two short years after
the first Reform woman was ordained.

HASIDIC JUDAISM

Hasidic (sometimes spelled Chasidic) Judaism is a very vocal
sub-group that wields influence beyond its small numbers. Its beginnings
can be traced to the late 1700s, but the group that calls itself Hasidic
today bears little resemblance to its early progenitors. Hasidic Judaism
began in an honest effort to restore the joy of Judaism to the average
Jew. It succeeded due to the charisma of its early teachers; and, where it
continues to succeed today, it is still due to its charismatic leaders
each one called a rebbe (a Yiddish term used instead of the Hebrew
"rabbi"). Like many other reactionary movements, the main idea of Hasidic
Judaism is that Jews should separate themselves from the modern world and
continue to live in "the good old ways." On close inspection, however,
"the good old days" (that is, the eighteenth-century world which Hasidism
represents in both dress and practice) were times of oppression and
ignorance. It was in such a world that Jews could give credence to the
claims that their rebbes worked miracles, wrote effective amulets,
and exorcised demons.

One group of modern Hasidim -- the followers of the Lubavitch rebbe
who call themselves Habad (often spelled, Chabad) Hasidim -- have
proven very canny in the use of modern media to garner attention. Their
ever-growing presence on the Internet, for example, makes it seem as if
they number in the millions while quite the opposite is the case. Despite
their outward look of modernity, their medieval roots persist, as seen in
their response to the death of their last rebbe. All mourned him,
but some soon proclaimed that the deceased rebbe was either the
messiah or the harbinger of the messiah. Huge billboards announced prayers
for the dead rebbe's resurrection. Such a call, for the
resurrection of a charismatic leader, is antithetical to mainstream
Judaism (and has been so throughout history as mainstream Jews denounced
one false messiah after another)

In terms of belief, the Hasidic movement hardly differs from the
Orthodox movement except that it is consistently more stringent and more
extremist. While study is encouraged for men and boys, women are still
accorded a lesser place in Hasidic Judaism than in any other Jewish
religious movement. Unlike the vast majority of Jews in this or any other
age, Hasidim read the Bible as the literal word of God believing, for
example, that the world was actually created in seven days. Hasidic
Judaism is also cult-like in its demand for complete and blind faith on
the part of its adherents who live in small tightly knit, carefully
controlled communities.

The Hasidic movement remains the smallest Jewish religious group in
the United States. Its radical, rightwing position today is ironical,
considering its beginnings as a movement to bring new vigor to the Jewish
world. Early Hasidism set out to be a liberalizing influence and its early
form actually influenced and continues to influence all branches of modern
Jewish thought.

KLAL YISRAEL

No matter what set of beliefs a Jew subscribes to, there is a sense of
solidarity among all Jews, born of the recognition that Jews share a
common history, heritage, language, and culture. They also tend to share a
common fate, sometimes for the good and sometimes not. When one Jew is
noticed, all are brought into focus. When the Jewish people, faith, or
state is noticed, so is the individual Jew. The Talmud expressed its
recognition of this commonality in a positive statement, "All Jews are
responsible one for another." This sums up the Jewish value called Klal
Yisrael, the "Community of Israel."